Dear Abby: Wife wants concert ticket payment sooner rather than later

Updated 3:05 am, Saturday, February 20, 2016

Photo: Mike Kemp

If you're buying concert tickets for someone, should they pay right away or when they receive the ticket?

If you're buying concert tickets for someone, should they pay right...

Dear Abby: When purchasing concert tickets online for others, when should you expect reimbursement? I say the charge hits your credit card immediately, and so should the payment you’ve advanced for that person. My husband thinks it should be when the tickets are mailed to you — which can take two to four weeks — and you either bring the tickets to your friends or they pick them up. What do you think?

Cautious Friend in Louisiana

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Dear Cautious Friend: Your mistake was in not discussing payment arrangements before you bought the tickets. Unless immediate repayment was agreed upon at the time they were ordered, I agree with your husband that reimbursement when the tickets are delivered is appropriate.

Dear Abby: My boyfriend and I have been together for three years. We are both 29. When we have a fight, the first thing he does is text-message my parents and tell them everything. I have asked him many times to please not involve them. We are adults and we should be able to handle our problems without interference from my parents. I never have, and never would, complain to his mother about him. His response has always been, “I can involve whoever I want.” He knows I feel disrespected when he does this, and he still won’t change. Is there anything else I can do?

Dear Abby: I’m a 26-year-old man living in Boston and in my final year of grad school. My parents help me out with finances because I have very little income. One of the things they have done is keep me on the family phone plan. However, there’s a catch: They recently announced that my “cost” for staying on their phone plan is installing an app that allows them to track my location at all times. In Boston, that’s not a huge deal, but when I’m visiting them in Georgia on breaks, it’s a point of contention, since I must let them know I’m taking a car. This will alert them to the fact I’ll be out, and remove any trace of privacy I might have while I’m there. When I told them I’ll pay my portion of the bill, their response was, “Would you prefer more texts and phone calls?” How can I deal with this situation?

Dear Needs Privacy: Your parents are treating you like a child, although you are an adult and should be entitled to some privacy. Look into ways of getting a reasonably priced phone plan, i.e., a prepaid phone. And when you visit them, refrain from using their car if it’s an issue. (Perhaps your friends can pick you up and drop you off instead?)